Central Park Free Walking Tour: Bethesda Terrace to Strawberry Fields

A free, tip-based walk through Central Park with an English-speaking guide. The group meets in front of the Maine Monument at Columbus Circle and covers the south and middle of the park before finishing on the west side. The walking part runs about two and a half hours; the listing sets aside 2 hours 45 minutes in all. The first stretch goes past the towers of Billionaires' Row along the park's southern edge, then Wollman Rink and The Pond. Next come the Central Park Zoo and the bronze statue of Balto, the sled dog remembered for the 1925 diphtheria serum run to Nome, Alaska. From there the route follows The Mall, the long promenade under the elms, down to Bethesda Terrace and the Angel of the Waters, the bronze angel on top of the fountain. Then comes The Lake and the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, where children climb over the mushrooms, and a crossing of Bow Bridge, the cast-iron footbridge over the water. After that the path turns into The Ramble, the wooded part of the park, and climbs to Belvedere Castle, built in 1872 on a rock outcrop above Turtle Pond. The last stops are on the west side: Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon with its Imagine mosaic, and the Dakota, the apartment building across Central Park West where he lived. The tour is free to book; the guide works for tips, which are not included, so bring cash or be ready to tip the way the guide suggests. Groups of more than six people are not admitted, even if they book separately. If your plans change, cancel the reservation so the guide isn't left waiting for you.